Spherical roller bearings are designed to accommodate heavy radial and axial loads. Structurally, they typically have an outer ring, an inner ring and, between these, there are two rows of oppositely arranged rolling elements that are separated by and interacting with a guide ring, also called centering ring or spacer, so as to optimally distribute the load.
Various tribological components of spherical roller bearings, including the aforementioned, are usually exposed to substantial heat generation and friction, and, eventually, wear. In order to alleviate consequences of this exposure, various coolants and lubricants are applied. In certain applications, such as gear boxes, a single substance, typically suitable oil, is used both for cooling and lubrication. Oil is splashed or flushed through the application and subsequently cooled, either internally or in an external heat exchanger. In this context and as is known in the art, spherical roller bearings are on a general level very compactly designed in order to maximize the number of rolling elements used. Hence, achieving that the coolant/lubricant is sufficiently spread throughout the bearing is associated with considerable difficulties. In addition, the guide ring acts as a barrier between the two rows of rolling elements and prevents fluid passage across the guide ring.
DE102012219512 discloses a spherical roller bearing with a perforated guide ring extending between the rotatable outer ring and the fixed inner ring. DE102012219512 presents a bearing for use in so called vibrating screen applications. Vibrating screens are vibrating sieving devices that separate solids from crushed material in technology fields such as mineral processing, mining and quarry.
Cross-section of the guide ring has the shape of a trapezoid. A plurality of transit channels is arranged in the guide ring. The transit channels prevent inadvertent accumulation of oil in the bearing and reduce back-pressure on both sides of the guide ring. As it may be seen, the portion of the guide ring having the transit channels provides the contact surface for the rolling element.
On a general level, interior of the spherical roller bearing is a rather extreme environment. For instance, the guide ring must withstand elevated pressures due to its contact with an end of the rolling element. On this background and for maximal structural stability, components of the roller bearing are typically made in wear-resistant materials and without dents, cavities and/or perforations.
Accordingly, it is desirable that the portion of the guide ring brought in contact with the rolling elements is devoid of structural weakenings, such as the transit channels disclosed in DE102012219512. Otherwise, this structural weakening must be compensated, by way of example by adding more material and/or by using more advanced materials.
An objective of the present invention is therefore to provide a spherical roller bearing not ridden with drawbacks that are associated with spherical roller bearings belonging to the prior art. A further objective is to provide an improved spherical roller with the components manufactured using standard production processes. Here, improvement of the properties of the production process, e.g. achieving material savings, is a further objective of the present invention.